William M. Bulger
| Bill Bulger | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Boston Mayor Ray Flynn (left) and Massachusetts Senate President William M. Bulger (right) | |
| President of the University of Massachusetts | |
| In office 1996–2003 | |
| Appointed by | William Weld |
| Preceded by | Shirley Penney |
| Succeeded by | Jack M. Wilson |
| President of the Massachusetts Senate | |
| In office 1978–1996 | |
| Preceded by | Kevin B. Harrington |
| Succeeded by | Tom Birmingham |
| Member of the Massachusetts Senate for the First Suffolk District | |
| In office 1971–1996 | |
| Preceded by | Joe Moakley |
| Succeeded by | Stephen Lynch |
| Member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives | |
| In office 1961–1971 | |
| Preceded by | Joe Moakley |
| Succeeded by | Raymond Flynn |
| Personal details | |
| Born | William Michael Bulger February 2, 1934 Dorchester, Massachusetts |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Mary Bulger (1960–present) |
| Relations | Whitey Bulger (brother) |
| Children | Bill Jim Patrick Dan Chris Brendan Sarah Mary Kathleen |
| Education | B.A. Boston College, 1957 (English Literature) J.D. Boston College (Law), 1961 |
| Occupation | Politician, educator, attorney |
| Religion | Roman Catholicism |
| Nickname(s) | Billy |
William Michael "Billy" Bulger (born February 2, 1934) is a retired American Democratic Party politician, lawyer, and educator from South Boston, Massachusetts, whose eighteen year tenure as President of the Massachusetts Senate is the longest in history, and who was also president of the University of Massachusetts. He was forced to resign from the latter post after he refused to testify in a 2003 Congressional hearing about communications he had had with his then-fugitive brother, James "Whitey" Bulger, Jr., a Boston crime boss.[1]
Early life
Bulger was born in Dorchester, Massachusetts, to James Joseph Bulger, Senior and Jane Veronica "Jean" McCarthy, who were of Irish descent. He is the third of six children in the family, and younger brother of former mob boss James "Whitey" Bulger. When Bulger was four years old, the family moved to South Boston's Old Harbor Village housing project, soon after it opened, in 1938. He grew up there and has maintained lifelong friendships with many of those who were his former neighbors, including best friend, Korean War marine P.O.W. and Purple Heart recipient Fred L. Toomey. The late Congressman Joe Moakley (1927–2001) was also a close childhood neighbor.[2] Although the Bulger family was poor, William matriculated into Boston College High School. He enrolled at Boston College in 1952, but his undergraduate career was interrupted when he joined the United States Army. He served from September 1953 to November 1955, then returned to Boston College, completing his undergraduate degree in English Literature with the help of the G.I. Bill. He attended Boston College Law School, from which he received his Doctor of Jurisprudence degree in 1961.[2] He is also the recipient of over 20 honorary degrees from a variety of academic institutions.[2]
Political career
Bulger became interested in politics in 1959 and was first elected to the Massachusetts House of Representatives as a Democrat in 1960. After serving five terms, Bulger was elected to the Massachusetts State Senate in 1970 representing the First Suffolk District. In 1973 he was named Second Assistant Floor Majority Leader.[3] After Joseph DiCarlo's conviction for extortion in 1977, Bulger succeeded him as Senate Majority Leader.[4] Bulger was elected President of the Massachusetts State Senate in 1978 and was re-elected every two years to 1996, making his time as State Senate president the longest tenure in Massachusetts history.
Bulger joined other Irish American neighborhood leaders in opposition to court-ordered desegregated busing.
Like other Massachusetts politicians who were elected leaders of their legislative chambers, Bulger was frequently pilloried in the media, but remained very popular in his district. He won his district election every two years from 1961 to 1994 without ever facing a challenge more serious than he faced in the Democratic primary in 1988, when Stephen Holt, a neophyte liberal activist and bookstore owner from Dorchester won 31 out of 60 precincts, only to lose the district by a landslide due to the huge turnout of Bulger supporters in South Boston.
Political milestones
During the 1960s, he led efforts to write the first child abuse reporting laws in the state. He was supportive of environmental protection legislation.
Bulger was among the first advocates of charter schools and public school choice. During the 1980s, he advocated funding of public libraries, the expansion of childhood nutrition services and fuel assistance programs. As Senate president, Bulger led the debate on welfare reform in the early 1990s, with the resulting legislation becoming the model for a national law.
For many years, Bulger hosted the annual St. Patrick's Day Breakfast in South Boston. This is a "roast" of politicians.[2]
President of the University of Massachusetts system
Bulger was appointed President of the University of Massachusetts by the Board of Trustees on November 28, 1995. His candidacy for the UMass position was supported by Republican Governor William Weld.
On August 6, 2003, Bulger announced that he would resign as president of the system effective September 1, 2003. His resignation came due to pressure from Governor Mitt Romney after Bulger had refused to cooperate with authorities who were searching for Bulger's brother, the notorious mobster James "Whitey" Bulger.[5] Jack Wilson, Vice President for Academic and Student Affairs, who had come to UMass from the post of J. Erik Jonsson Distinguished Professor at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute to create UMassOnline, was tapped to be the interim president. Wilson was appointed as the president in March 2004 after the conclusion of a national search.
Controversy over brother
Bulger's older brother James "Whitey" Bulger, Jr., is a convicted murderer[6] and former Boston crime boss. Whitey was a fugitive from justice from 1995 until his arrest in June 2011. William Bulger's role in his brother's escape from authorities is a matter of some dispute. On June 19, 2003, he testified to a House of Representatives committee about an incident in which, while still President of the Massachusetts State Senate, he "went to an arranged location in 1995 to take a call from his fugitive brother, apparently to avoid electronic eavesdropping. He said that accepting the call from the gangster without informing the FBI was 'in no way inconsistent with my devotion to my own responsibilities, my public responsibilities.'"[7]
During the hearing, when asked what he thought James (Whitey) did for a living, William Bulger said:
I had the feeling that he was in the business of gaming and... whatever. It was vague to me but I didn't think, for a long while he had some jobs but ultimately it was clear that he was not being, you know, he wasn't doing what I'd like him to do.[7]
He added that he loves his brother and hopes that the most brutal rumors concerning him will be proven false. As fallout from these remarks, he was forced out by then-Governor of Massachusetts Mitt Romney from his position as president of the University of Massachusetts in 2003.
Bulger also testified that the FBI never asked if he knew of Whitey's location. Those remarks were disputed by a former FBI agent who claimed Bulger declined to submit to an interview with the bureau.[8] Months later, the committee report found Bulger's testimony "inconsistent" about whether the FBI had contacted him in its search for his fugitive brother.[8]
Upon Whitey's arrest in California in June 2011, William Bulger issued a statement expressing his "sympathies to the families hurt" in the case, and asking for privacy for his family.[9]
In the upcoming 2015 film Black Mass, which is based on the life of Whitey, William will be portrayed by British actor Benedict Cumberbatch, while Whitey will be portrayed by American actor Johnny Depp.
Active retirement and family
Bulger is a past president of the Boston Public Library Board of Trustees and continues to serve on the board. He is also Overseer Emeritus of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. In addition, he is a former member of the Massachusetts General Hospital Board of Trustees, Museum of Fine Arts Board of Trustees, McLean Hospital Board of Trustees and Citizens Bank of Massachusetts Board of Directors. He joined the faculties of Boston College and Suffolk University as a lecturer of political science in 2004. Bulger lives in South Boston with Mary, his wife whom he married in 1960. They have nine children and 33 grandchildren. According to the Boston Herald list of state pensions, Bulger is currently receiving a pension from Massachusetts at a rate of $198,205.92 annually.[10]
Bibliographical works
- Bulger, William M. While the Music Lasts: My Life in Politics. New York: Houghton Mifflin, 1996. ISBN 0-395-72041-9.
- Bulger, William M. "James Michael Curley: A Short Biography with personal reminiscences by William M. Bulger" Beverly Massachusetts: Commonwealth Editions, 2009
ISBN 978-1-933212-97-5.
- Burke, John J. A Profile in Political Power, a 2010 documentary produced by JAMAR Productions, highlights the political career of William M. Bulger.[11]
- Carr, Howie. The Brothers Bulger: How They Terrorized and Corrupted Boston For a Quarter Century. Lebanon, IN: Warner Books (Hachette Book Group, Inc.), 2006. ISBN 0-446-57651-4.
Footnotes
- ↑ Seelye, Katharine Q. (November 24, 2013). "Sticking by a Murderous Brother, and Paying for It Dearly". The New York Times.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Bulger, William (1996). While the Music Lasts. Houghton Miffen Co. ISBN 0-395-72041-9.
- ↑ Public Officers of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts 1977-78. p. 49.
- ↑ Robert Turner; Robert Carr (March 1, 1977). "Bulger promoted to majority leader". The Boston Globe.
- ↑ Lohr, David (June 23, 2011). "Whitey Bulger Arrested: Infamous Mob Fugitive Caught In Santa Monica". The Huffington Post.
- ↑ "Boston gangster ‘Whitey’ Bulger found guilty of gangland crimes, including 11 slayings". Washington Post.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Edward Achorn,"The Anti-Brahmins: Not Every Massachusetts Dynasty Is Great," book review of The Brothers Bulger: How They Terrorized and Corrupted Boston For a Quarter Century, by Howie Carr, The Weekly Standard magazine, July 24, 2006.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Fox Butterfield, "F.B.I.Used Killers as Informants, Report Says," New York Times November 21, 2003, accessed September 10, 2006
- ↑ "William Bulger Issues Statement Regarding Brother Whitey’s Arrest". CBS.
- ↑ "Your tax dollars at work: 2009 State Pensions", The Boston Herald, October 2009
- ↑ "A Profile in Political Power", Jamar Productions, 2010
External links
- Gitell, Seth. "Bulger's Denouement." Boston Phoenix December 12, 2002. Accessed September 11, 2006.
- Billy Bulger
- 60 Minutes segment about Bulger, aired in 1992
- A Profile in Political Power
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Joseph DiCarlo |
Majority Leader of the Massachusetts Senate 1977–1978 |
Succeeded by Daniel J. Foley |
| Preceded by Kevin Harrington |
President of the Massachusetts Senate 1978–1996 |
Succeeded by Thomas Birmingham |
| Academic offices | ||
| Preceded by Sherry H. Penney |
President of the University of Massachusetts 1996–2003 |
Succeeded by Jack M. Wilson |
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